@OfficialMopar • #mopar • @dodge_canada • #NCATS • WINDSOR, ON – It was a four-way battle for the 2015 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series (NCATS) presented by Mobil 1 Championship going into this past weekend's Pinty's 250 at Kawartha Speedway. But when the dust settled and the checkered flag flew to close out the 2015 season, it was Scott Steckly, driver of the No. 22 Canadian Tire Dodge, hoisting the coveted trophy.
Steckly claimed the title over fellow competitors Jason Hathaway, Andrew Ranger and L.P. Dumoulin, who were all in a four-way fight for the championship going into Saturday's season finale race at the 0.6 km (.375-mile) Ontario track. Steckly, 43, earned the pole with a blistering, track-record lap in qualifying at the wheel of his Dodge-bodied race car.
For Steckly, this was his fourth Series title. He became only the 33rd person in the history of NASCAR to win four or more touring or national series championships.
As with the majority of the 2015 NCATS competitors, Steckly crossed the finish line at Kawartha Speedway at the wheel of a Dodge Challenger-bodied racing car. More than half of the races this season were won by a Dodge driver, with six of the Top 10 final points positions held by Dodge drivers.
Andrew Ranger, the fan-favourite head driver for Team Mopar, closed out the 2015 season third in overall NCATS points after a 10th place finish at Kawartha. The Roxton Pond, Quebec native drove the #27 Mopar Parts Dodge to one win and six top-five finishes this season and has won the Series' Championship twice previously.
FCA Canada and its vehicle brands have been an integral part of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series (NCATS) since its inception in 2007 and the CASCAR Series which preceded it. Dodge was again at the forefront this season as the official car of the Canadian series and again provided the official pace car – a 2015 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat – alongside a Dodge Grand Caravan for track-side promotional efforts. The Ram Truck brand supplied a Ram 1500 and 3500 as safety vehicles.
As in the past eight seasons, contingency funds were offered for the Dodge/Mopar Quick Three and Dodge/Mopar-powered Quick Three. Awarded after each race, they recognized the fastest drivers in Dodge-bodied cars and those using a proven, race-winning Mopar 5.9-litre V8 under hood. At the Pinty's 250 at Kawartha Speedway, Steckly and Ranger won the top spots in each respective contingency.
"We want to congratulate all of the Dodge drivers for a great 2015 NCATS seasons and Scott on his hard-fought championship," said Jim Kiritsis, Senior Manager, National Service and Parts, FCA Canada. "Support of motorsports, from grassroots to the big leagues, is something that runs deep in the DNA at both Dodge and Mopar. We hope the drivers – and especially, the fans – had as much fun watching the 2015 season unfold as we did."
About the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1: Canada's premiere auto racing series competes at top motorsports venues across the country from Alberta to Nova Scotia from May through September. Since its inception in 2007, more than 100 drivers from around the world have participated in this NASCAR developmental series with a typical 12-13-race schedule. For more, visit: hometracks.nascar.com
About Chrysler Canada and the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series: Chrysler Canada and its Dodge brand have been an integral part of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series since its inception in 2007. Today, Dodge is the official vehicle of NASCAR Canada. Not only is the competitive field dominated by Dodge entries wearing Challenger livery at each race weekend, but the support vehicles come from the Dodge stable – including a 2015 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat pace car. Contingency funds for the Dodge/Mopar Quick Three and Dodge/Mopar-powered Quick Three are awarded after each race, recognizing the fastest drivers in Dodge-bodied cars and those using Mopar V8 power.
About Mopar Brand: Mopar (a simple contraction of the words MOtor and PARts) was trademarked in 1937 with the launch of an antifreeze product, but it truly made its mark in the 1960s during the muscle-car era. From Mopar Performance Parts to enhance speed and handling for both road and racing use, the brand soon expanded to include technical service and customer support.
Today, Mopar is FCA's service, parts and customer-care brand and distributes more than 500,000 parts and accessories in over 150 markets around the world. With more than 50 parts distribution centres and 27 customer-contact hubs globally, Mopar integrates service, parts and customer-care operations in order to enhance dealer and customer support worldwide. Mopar is the source for genuine parts and accessories for FCA brands.
Mopar parts are engineered together with the same teams that create factory-authorized specifications for FCA vehicles. This offers a direct connection that no other aftermarket parts company can provide. A complete list of Mopar accessories and performance parts is available at www.mopar.com.
About FCA Canada: Founded as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925, FCA Canada Inc. is based in Windsor, Ontario, and celebrates its 90th anniversary in 2015. FCA Canada Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of FCA US LLC, a member of the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (FCA) family of companies. FCA Canada has approximately 440 dealers and markets Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram and FIAT brands as well as the SRT performance vehicle designation. The company also distributes the Alfa Romeo 4C model and Mopar products. In addition to its assembly facilities, which produce the Chrysler Town & Country, Dodge Grand Caravan (Windsor), Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger and Dodge Challenger (Brampton), FCA Canada operates an aluminum casting plant in Etobicoke, a research and development center in Windsor, and has sales offices and parts distribution centers throughout the country.
FCA, the seventh-largest automaker in the world based on total annual vehicle sales, is an international automotive group. FCA is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "FCAU" and on the Mercato Telematico Azionario under the symbol "FCA."
From: FCA Press
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